This Week in Palestine Week 25 2014

Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for June 14th to the 20th, 2014.

This week, Israel escalated its attacks against Palestinian in the occupied territories, the military operation has resulted in the death of two civilians so far. In the meantime the Palestinian Authority called on international bodies to help stop Israeli on going attacks. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.

The Nonviolence Report

Let’s begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. Scores civilians were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation on Friday when Israeli soldiers attacked the nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMC’s Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura has more:

Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest organized by the villagers of Kufer Kadum in northern West Bank. soldiers also invaded the village and fired tear gas into residents homes, as a result many civilians, including children suffered effects of tear gas inhalation.

In central West Bank, at the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. As a result many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics.

At the nearby al Nabi Saleh village, Israeli troops fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets at the villagers as soon as they reached the village entrance. Moreover Israeli troops fired tear gas at residential areas causing damage to the houses as some of the tear gas canisters went through the windows inside the villagers’ homes.

In Al-Ma’asara village, Israeli troops stopped villagers and their supporters at the entrance of the village and forced them back, however, no injuries were reported.

For IMEMC News this Eman Abedraboo-Bannoura.

The Political Report

UN's Special envoy to the occupied Palestinian Territories, Robert Serri, expressed concern over stepped up Israeli military operations across the West Bank. Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority called on concerned international bodies to help stop Israeli attacks. IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari with the details:

Serry calls on Israel to make sure it's operations in the West Bank, guarantee dignity and continuity of livelihoods of Palestinian civilians in the region.

He also expressed concern over large-scale Israeli arrest campaigns that have so far rounded up more than 300 Palestinians. This comes while Israeli officials including Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israeli army operations will be enlarged in search for three Israeli settler youth, disappeared in Hebron city, more than one week ago.

In the meantime, during a visit to the West Bank city of Hebron, Mr. Rami Alhamdallah, Prime Minister of Palestinian technocrat temporary government, said that his government has sent out messages to international bodies to help stop Israel's military campaigns.

Israeli attacks have so far led to the arrest of more than 300 Palestinians, mainly from the Islamist Hamas party , and claimed the lives of two Palestinian teens.

In the Gaza Strip, crowds of Hamas supporters, took out to the streets in protest of Israeli actions against the West Bank. Some Hamas leaders criticized Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for latest remarks during Arab foreign ministers' meeting in Saudi Arabia.

Abbas branded security cooperation with the Israeli occupation authorities as sacred, hoping that the three missing settlers will be found safe.

Israel accuses the Islamist Hamas party of abducting the three settlers and some media reports suggest that Israel would likely deport some West Bank Hamas leaders, to the Gaza Strip. Up to broadcasting this report, neither Hamas , nor any other Palestinian armed group, has claimed responsibility for any abduction of the missing settlers.

For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari in Gaza

The West Bank and Gaza Report

The Israeli army escalated attacks this week against Palestinian communities in the West bank and Gaza left three killed civilians and many more injured. IMEMC’s George Rishmawi reports:

A Palestinian child was shot and killed by Israeli army gunfire on Friday, after dozens of soldiers’ invaded Dura town, south of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, several Palestinians have been injured.

Jihad Dudin, 14, was shot in the chest by several rounds of live ammunition, and died of his serious injuries shortly after being moved to the Hebron Hospital.

Moreover, a young Palestinian man was shot and seriously injured by Israeli troops, in the Qalandia refugee camp, between the central West Bank city of Ramallah and East Jerusalem.

Medical sources said Mustafa Hosni Aslan, 22, was seriously wounded by a round of live ammunition fired by Israeli soldiers invading the camp, and was moved to the Ramallah Hospital, suffering a critical head injury, before being moved to the Israeli Hadassah hospital.

Two Palestinians were seriously wounded by army fire, and the soldiers also kidnapped several young men.

Earlier on Monday Young Palestinian man was killed by Israeli army fire after soldiers invaded the al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Two Palestinians were injured, many kidnapped. Ahmad Sabbareen, 21 years of age was shot by several live bullets, in the chest, and died of his wounds at the Intensive Care Unit in the Palestine Medical Center. Sabbareen was a political prisoner who was recently released by Israel.

The Israeli army escalation started on Friday of last week as three Israeli settlers living in an illegal settlement near the southern West Bank city of Hebron went missing.

Palestinian sources announced that the Israeli army has kidnapped at least 300 Palestinians since last Saturday. Among the kidnapped Palestinians are six legislators, and two former government ministers, in addition to 51 former prisoners who were previously released under the Shalit Prisoner Swap Deal.

In the Gaza strip this week, the Israeli army continued dozens of aerial and ground bombardment against targets all over the coastal enclave.

Several civilians were injured, and excessive property damage was reported, as the Israeli Air Force fired missiles into several areas in different parts of the Gaza Strip on Thursday at dawn.

Local sources reported Israeli attacks were focused in northern, and southern parts of the Gaza strip. Wide scale damage was reported including the Gaza only power plant, which was attacked twice this week.

For IMEMC news this is George Rishmawi

Conclusion

And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for June 14th to the 20th, 2014 from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This week’s report has been brought to you by Samer Jaber, and me Ghassan Bannoura.